Chapter 13

After a few days, once Yue Buqun had stabilized his realm, he selected three disciples from among the outer sect disciples based on their performance: Liang Fa, Shi Daizi, and Gao Genming.

Liang Fa's parents were ordinary people from the foot of Huashan Mountain. His ancestors had once joined Huashan and learned some basic breathing techniques at home, which gave him a solid foundation. Shi Daizi had worked as a porter since childhood, growing up very strong. After his parents died, he lived on his own, with a simple and straightforward personality. Yue Buqun encountered him at the foot of the mountain and took him into the outer sect. Gao Genming's family were merchants. His parents had once been robbed by bandits and were saved by Yue Buqun. Therefore, they paid their respects to Huashan every year, showing great respect. Gao Genming, admiring martial arts from a young age, came to Huashan when he heard that the sect was recruiting outer sect disciples. He had been there for three years, and although his talent was not high, he was diligent and hardworking.

Yue Buqun, seeing that these three were from the foot of Huashan and had received some benefits from Huashan, and that their talent was decent, and they were the most diligent and well-founded among the outer sect disciples, decided to take them into the inner sect. According to their age, Liang Fa became the third disciple, Shi Daizi the fourth, and Gao Genming the fifth. After the formal ceremony, they officially began learning Huashan martial arts.

On this day, the three bowed to the ancestors, their master, and the senior disciples, officially becoming the 14th generation disciples of Huashan. Having been in the outer sect for two to three years, they had a solid foundation in basic boxing and sword techniques. Therefore, Yue Buqun directly taught Liang Fa and Gao Genming the basic Huashan techniques and the Twelve Muscle Changing Exercises.

Over the years, the Twelve Muscle Changing Exercises had been continuously improved by Yue Buqun and were now largely standardized. They could serve as the basic techniques for cultivating the twelve main meridians and could also be practiced after the meridians were unblocked, providing continuous benefits, though small. Linghu Chong and Yue Fangxing practiced this technique after unblocking their meridians. As for Shi Daizi, due to his strong physique, Yue Buqun first taught him the Twelve Muscle Changing Exercises and then had him learn the Mixed Yuan Palm from Yue Fangxing, indicating that Yue Buqun intended for him to cultivate the Mixed Yuan Technique, which was thus officially reintroduced into Huashan's qigong system.

After some time, Yue Buqun noticed that although Yue Fangxing's martial arts skills were limited by his physical condition and strength, further practice would not yield much progress, but his sword techniques were already proficient. Therefore, he planned to teach him the basic Huashan sword techniques. Yue Fangxing did not refuse, as he also believed he was ready to learn sword techniques. However, he did not want to learn the incomplete basic Huashan sword techniques and thought his father's sword techniques should be improved to ensure he would not be tempted by the辟邪剑谱 (Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual) in the future.

Thinking about this, Yue Fangxing said to Yue Buqun, "Father, I once discovered in the cave on Sigu Cliff that a section of the cave wall seemed hollow, as if something was hidden behind it. In the past few days, I have read Huashan's records and believe it might be related to the battle between the demonic sect and the Five Mountains Sword Sect several decades ago." This was based on what he knew from the original book, and he had deliberately searched for it during his recent visit to Huashan, but he was too young to break through the stone wall.

Yue Buqun was greatly surprised upon hearing this. Due to the long time that had passed, he did not know much about the battle several decades ago, only that the Five Mountains Sword Sect had suffered significant losses, and many techniques were lost. If not, the prestigious Huashan Sect would not have only a few complete martial arts techniques. Thinking that there might be relics of Huashan's predecessors there, Yue Buqun urgently asked, "Xing'er, where did you find it?"

Yue Fangxing replied, "Father, follow me to Sigu Cliff, and you will see."

Yue Buqun did not doubt him and, taking Yue Fangxing, quickly rushed to Sigu Cliff. Yue Fangxing felt as if they were riding a galloping horse, with the mountains and trees passing by swiftly, much faster than he could go on his own. Seeing that his father still had strength to spare, he was pleasantly surprised: his father's strength had greatly increased! It was definitely not as fast before. This made him more confident in his thoughts.

Soon, the two arrived at Sigu Cliff and entered the cave. Yue Fangxing pointed to the place he had found after knocking for a long time and said to Yue Buqun, "Father, it's here, but I can't open it."

Yue Buqun knocked a few times and indeed heard a hollow sound from that part of the cave wall, unlike the surrounding areas. He held his breath, drew his long sword, infused it with internal energy, and thrust it with force. A purple light flashed on the sword, and with a "swoosh," it pierced the stone wall, sinking in up to the hilt.

Yue Buqun was startled, thinking that even with his rapid improvement in strength, it was impossible for him to thrust the sword into the stone wall up to the hilt. That would require extremely pure and powerful internal energy, which he might not even achieve with the Purple Mist Divine Skill. He felt that the sword blade met no resistance after entering the stone, confirming that the inside was hollow. He pulled out the sword, and the stone wall, which was only a thin layer, revealed a hollow space behind it.

Yue Buqun was excited and, picking up a large stone, used his full strength to smash it. With a loud "bang," the stone wall broke, and a hole appeared, large enough for a head to fit through. A musty smell came from the cave. He smashed a few more times, and the cave was large enough for a person to crawl through. Just as he was about to enter, Yue Fangxing said, "Father, wait outside for a while until the musty smell dissipates. I'll go down and get some torches to see what's inside."

Yue Buqun, realizing he had been too eager, calmed down and said, "I'll go down. The path on Sigu Cliff is not easy to walk."

Yue Fangxing nodded in agreement. Yue Buqun quickly moved and rushed into the cave.

Yue Fangxing had been to this place before, but at that time, he was only focused on finding the hidden cave and did not pay much attention. This time, he carefully examined the area and saw a smooth, large stone on the ground. He sat down, and with his eyes about a foot away from the stone wall, he noticed "Feng Qingyang" carved on the left side, seemingly with a sharp tool, with deep, strong strokes. He thought: This is the engraving that Linghu Chong saw in the original book, indeed showing extraordinary strength.

Over the years, he had been reading and practicing calligraphy, and although he could not compare to his father, he considered himself quite good. However, seeing these characters, he felt that although the calligraphy was simple, it had a special charm. He thought hard and, using his finger as a brush, traced the characters on the stone wall. Halfway through, he suddenly exclaimed, "Yes, yes, that's it!"

Yue Fangxing recalled how Zhang Sanfeng created the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber techniques based on the 24 characters of the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, and how Zhu Ziliu created the One Yang Finger based on his calligraphy skills. He thought that with Feng Qingyang's high level of power, even if he had not deliberately practiced calligraphy, his sword techniques must have unconsciously carried the essence of his swordsmanship. Excited, he called out.

At that moment, a "hmm" came from the cave entrance, clearly from someone who was surprised. Yue Fangxing looked up and saw a tall, thin man in a green robe, his face covered with a green cloth, only his eyes visible, which showed great internal strength.

Although Yue Fangxing knew that the only person living in seclusion on Huashan's Sigu Cliff was Feng Qingyang, who would not harm him, he still jumped up and secretly gathered his strength.

He was extremely surprised, knowing that in this life, he had trained from a young age, with reaction speeds far exceeding those of ordinary people. After incorporating breathing techniques into his daily life, his sensitivity to human breathing was extremely acute. Even after Yue Buqun's breakthrough, he could sense him within a yard. However, he had not sensed the green-robed man at all, and if not for the man's voice, he might not have noticed him at all, which was truly surprising.

The green-robed man said, "I saw you sneaking around and knocking on the walls last time, and I knew you were up to no good. I didn't expect you to bring Yue Buqun and break through the wall. You're really disturbing my seclusion, you brat."

Yue Fangxing, who had long considered Yue Buqun his father, was furious at the green-robed man's rudeness, even though he knew it was likely Feng Qingyang. He shouted, "Who are you? Why are you hiding on Huashan? Are you a demon from the demonic sect, spying on Huashan's secrets and trying to steal our techniques?"

The man laughed strangely, "You have a big mouth, brat. What secrets does Huashan have that are worth spying on? If I hadn't sworn never to fight anyone in my lifetime, I would have taught you a lesson. Fine, today I'll show you what Huashan's secrets are, so you don't act recklessly and get killed, damaging Huashan's reputation."

With that, he flashed and took Yue Fangxing's sword, and Yue Fangxing had no reaction, which frightened him.

The green-robed man performed a set of sword techniques, which Yue Fangxing recognized as the ones Yue Buqun usually taught Linghu Chong, but with some differences. There were many techniques Yue Fangxing had never seen, likely lost over time. The man performed the techniques twice, both times smoothly and continuously, but the sword techniques seemed different. Yue Fangxing recognized the basic Huashan techniques, but the order was different. He was shocked, as Yue Buqun had never performed them so smoothly, and although they were the same set of techniques, they were incomparable.

Although Yue Fangxing knew from the original book that Feng Qingyang's sword techniques had reached an unparalleled level, he only now had a general idea, and this was likely just a small part of his swordsmanship. If he used the Nine Swords of Dugu, the power would be unimaginable.

However, Yue Fangxing had not wasted his years of martial arts practice. Combining his knowledge of Dugu Qiu's five levels of swordsmanship, he had formed his own theory, which was based on Dugu Qiu's swordsmanship but leaned more towards Yang Guo's heavy sword techniques. He said, "From your words, you seem to be from Huashan, and you use Huashan's sword techniques. However, you have taken the wrong path, only learning the form of the techniques without understanding their deeper meaning. You must not have learned the true Huashan techniques, which emphasize using qi to control the sword. Your flashy techniques are just for show."

He then pointed his finger, performing the same technique Yue Buqun used to pierce the stone wall. Although simple, it was a technique he had practiced the most over four years. Except for his lack of strength, his performance was on par with Yue Buqun. He used his finger as a sword, with a mature and natural technique, different from the smooth sword techniques of the old man.

The old man, seeing this, remained silent for a long time, then threw down the sword, sighed, and disappeared.

Yue Fangxing picked up his sword, feeling a sense of loss. He knew that Feng Qingyang's appearance was likely because he recognized the sword techniques in the engraving and wanted to guide him, but he had offended him. He was not sure if he would see him again. However, he did not regret it, as anyone would be angry if their father was insulted. As a Huashan Qigong disciple, it would be a great joke to follow the sword path. Moreover, he had a clear understanding of his talent and path, and even if he learned Feng Qingyang's techniques now, he might not be able to master them.

Yue Fangxiang, knowing the reason for his two lives, had a steady personality and could not learn the aggressive and unguarded techniques of the Nine Swords of Dugu. Therefore, he chose another path, the heavy sword techniques of Yang Guo. Although he might never reach Feng Qingyang's level, he would not give up easily. Only the path that suited him was the best, and he could fully utilize its power. Even if he learned the Nine Swords of Dugu now, he would only be another Linghu Chong or Feng Qingyang, not Dugu Qiu.

Therefore, Yue Fangxing was only slightly regretful but not frustrated. For him, the sword techniques of the past were only a reference. Moreover, he had not even learned the basic Huashan sword techniques yet, so it was too early to say. He would focus on building a solid foundation and follow the path he had chosen.